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Advice for potential candidates ahead of their application to the MPharm (Pharmacy).
Advice for applicants
What qualities and attributes are we looking for in a successful candidate?
We are looking for students who are intellectually curious, willing to study hard, and who will thrive in a personal, friendly environment where the emphasis is on teamwork and academic achievement. You will need to show that you have a strong understanding of science and a detailed knowledge of Chemistry.
As accuracy and an ability to communicate with all sectors of society are essential skills in a pharmacist, you will also be confident in your numeracy and literacy skills. Full information on our academic requirements can be found in the undergraduate prospectus.
Healthcare professionals must show a developing and continuing commitment to excellent patient care. This is fundamental to our teaching at the UCL School of Pharmacy. Our aim is to select students who not only meet our intellectual requirements, but who we feel can also encompass and reflect our values as a pharmacy student and ultimately as a professional pharmacist.
Our values
- Safe and effective patient care
- Caring and compassionate conduct
- Honest and respectful behaviour
- Responsible and accountable actions
UCL has a responsibility to ensure that all of our students meet the fitness to practise requirements of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and so all students will be required to undertake a health screening and an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring) check before they start their studies at UCL. Students who are not based in the UK will also be required to provide a certificate of good conduct from their home country. There may be a charge for these checks. More information about fitness to practise can be found here: Standards for pharmacy professionals
How can you show that you are a suitable candidate for this degree programme?
We will expect to see a strong academic record and an interest and understanding of pharmacy as a profession. You should include reasons why you consider you have the skills, knowledge and ability to become a good pharmacist.
If we think you may have the potential to make a suitable candidate for the MPharm, then we will invite you to take part in our selection activities. These will normally take place between November and April.
If you would like to be considered for this programme you must complete our selection activities.
What to expect from our selection activities
All applicants will be required to take a test designed to evaluate your ability to meet our values. Applicants will be invited to a Selection Day at the UCL School of Pharmacy which will include an interview. Questions in both the test and the interview will be based around our values and will look at numeracy and communication skills, ask how you might respond in certain scenarios and give you a chance to demonstrate your opinions and values through written and spoken answers.
Your marks for these activities will be scored against criteria based on our values and will, along with your academic qualifications, inform the admissions team when deciding whether to make you an offer for the MPharm programme.
Offer holder events
Offer holder events will take place during the spring and will allow you to ask questions of current students and staff. Invitations will be sent out after offers are made. We can talk to you about the degree programme, facilities and opportunities at UCL, what it’s like to study here and to live in London. We hope that this will give you an opportunity to speak to people currently undertaking the degree and to give you the opportunity to decide whether UCL is the place where you would like to study.
What we can offer successful applicants
- Integrated and interdisciplinary approach to the science and practice of pharmacy where all of our teaching is designed specifically for pharmacy students.
- Excellent employment prospects with a dedicated tutor to help you find a pre-registration place.
- Partnership with Green Light Pharmacy giving MPharm students from Year 1 onwards an integrated community pharmacy and academic experience.
- Clinical placements increase throughout the programme to include visits to Boots and placements with six major NHS hospital trusts in central London.
- An opportunity to conduct your research project at UCL, in a hospital or overseas with one of our Study Abroad partners.
- Teachers who are leaders in their fields, with 87% of our academic staff classed as either world-leading or internationally excellent in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF).
- Friendly atmosphere with a high level of engagement and interaction between staff and students.
- Central London location minutes away from shops, libraries, museums, cinemas, parks and all the other attractions of a major city.
You can find out more about what a Pharmacy degree can do for you by visiting the NHS Pharmacy Careers page. You can also explore the Pharmacy Schools Council pages for further information.